Awards show will move to Spanish-language network
The Latin Grammys are moving to Univision, where the show will be broadcast Nov. 3 in Spanish from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The awards show aired on CBS for four years -- it was canceled in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks -- but never found an audience.
Gabriel Abaroa, president of the Latin Recording Academy, said organizers chose to leave CBS after executives refused to let organizers make the show more Latino-oriented in an effort to attract more viewers. Last year, an audience of 3.3. million tuned in.
“They couldn’t adapt to our demands in catering to Hispanics and trying to be much more bilingual,” Abaroa said. “The show will be in Spanish, so that makes a huge difference. I’m pretty sure the audience will define and determine very much the way we put the music to them.”
Abaroa said he believes Univision is so strong in several major markets that the show’s ratings are bound to improve. Univision has been on a roll this year, attracting more and more younger viewers as English-language competitors have lost footing in those demographic groups.
The Feb. 24 telecast of “Premio Lo Nuestro a la Musica Latina” pulled in 6.3 million viewers.
-- Maria Elena Fernandez
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